Hey! This guy. This guy has been sent to Milwaukee a lot. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)

The never ending up down and around season for Viktor Stålberg today. The Nashville Predators have reassigned the Swedish forward to the Milwaukee Admirals. It is the fourth move down to the Admirals from the Predators this season for Stålberg.

It seemed like his latest move up to the Predators was going relatively well. Stålberg produced 3 assists in 5 games in his latest rodeo with the Predators and the team went 4-0-1 in those games. in his last game he played the least amount of ice time of any Predators forward and then sat out for the next three games before being reassigned to the Admirals.

With Kevin Fiala joining the team this week, and now Stålberg being reassigned, it would appear that the winger position has been massively overloaded for the Admirals. Perhaps that’s a reason for putting Austin Watson back at the center position last game. There has yet to be an announcement of corresponding moves that would place players to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL but I’d imagine that it would only be a matter of time before that takes place.

What’s your take on Viktor Stålberg? Has he lost what it takes to be an every day NHL player or is he simply in the wrong organization right now? Who gets sent to the ECHL?

5 thoughts on “Stålberg Saga Redux; Reassigned to Milwaukee”

It’s been said before, but the two biggest issues with Stalberg are his contract and the injury bug from this season. GMDP gave him a pretty generous contact that no team wants to touch now that they have seen him outside the Stanley Cup winning Blackhawks, where his performance may have been masked somewhat by their performance as a team (or glanced over inadvertently). I think another team would have given him a chance when he was initially put on waivers had it not been for his contract size.

That said, I don’t have an issue with him playing for the Admirals. Even a guy whose not great at the NHL level can add something good with that NHL experience to an AHL team. And it’s great fun to watch him skate. His speed is crazy.

Stalberg never clicked with the Preds last season, and has never had a chance to click with the new team this season due to injuries. And, unless the team gets into a rut, he’s not going to get a real chance of finding his place now in Nashville. He an overqualified player to have as a backup, but if the team is going to make a run deep into the playoffs he will be nice to have. That said, there are a couple of teams who really need a shake up – Edmonton and Toronto – who truly should make an offer for him come the trade deadline or on draft day. Of course, a deadline deal all depends on what the Preds would get in return.